Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Ta Dahhhhhhhhhhh!

Remember this yarn? Purchased on a whim ages and ages ago? I chatted about it way back in April. I bought it after I had decided I wouldn't buy any more yarn till I'd finished my WiP's. My children aren't the only ones who don't listen to me, I don't either.

I love the icecream shades. L♡VE them.

L:O:V:E L:O:V:E L:O:V:E

And so I adore my tea cosy. Lots of you guessed right, it is indeed a tea cosy. Not the tea cosy I had planned originally as I got carried away on a whim. I'm pleased with the stitch the main cozy is made of. It's griddle stitch and is very easy. You chain as many as you need then: Row 1 double crochet to the end. Row 2 double,treble, double, treble to the end. Row 3 as row 1. Row 4 as row 2 and repeat till you've got a large enough piece! Always start with a double crochet then a treble then a double etc....on the even rows.

I'm chuffed to bits with the roses. The shape is perfect, the way the petals curve in on themselves is so pretty. I've Julie to thank for directing me to this pattern as she told me where to find it and then updated her sidebar so you can make a rose or two should you wish. (edit. It's no longer in her side bar so here is the link)

I'll enjoy making tea much more. Less dunking the bag in the cup from now on. I'll be using my tea pot complete with cozy and having a little ritual once all is quite. Tea from a favourite mug, maybe something to yummy nibble on (when the diet is over) and five minutes peace before cranking up a gear and trying to get all the boring stuff done so that I can keep the evenings clear to craft and blog.

Something happened yesterday which has really made me evaluate my blogging. My dearest Bee has read my blog this week. I've never kept it a secret from her, I've taken photo's of her for this blog and I've talked about her in this blog. She's in my cast list in my side bar, she was even a follower when I was with typepad but she has been very busy with her family and work so computer time is limited for her. I don't think she realised how much I've been loving blogging.

We are like sisters. We grew up together and have been through everything side by side. We now live an hour away from each other and we don't get to see each other often enough. Whenever we talk on the phone you can guarantee a child will start pestering us, or a there'll be loud crying as one of the kids tries to kill the other, or someone needs a wee.... you know how it is. So I don't really chatter on and on about my blog. We talk about what we've been up to, the good and the bad. We chat about "stuff" we could talk for hours and hours about nothing. We could talk four times a day and still have more to chat over. But we don't get the opportunity. We are always pulled away. Bee works two evenings a week and by the time Mr C and I have had our meal (late by most peoples standards) and tidied up Bee is usually tucked up in bed or flaked out. I am a bit of a burn the candle at both ends and so I sit up blogging and crafting and not really able to string a sentence together. I sort of switch off and get lost in crochet! What I'm taking an age to get to is that we were on the phone yesterday after Bee had read my blog for the first time this year probably and she tearfully said she felt like she didn't really know me anymore. That my blog is a part of me she'd not seen properly before. I mean, she knows I like to make stuff, I've sat making stuff when I'm with her (and tried to help her with learning crochet) but I guess we are too busy talking about all the other stuff that she was unaware of this side of me. So I've been thinking about how and why I blog and if I live too much in cyberland. I haven't come to much of a conclusion yet but I generally feel that as I do all this stuff late at night or little bits though out the day, upload a pic while the tea is cooking, a type sentence while the kids eat...Crafting while waiting for the school gates to open or the boys swim...I kind of feel that my blogging/crafting fits in and around my real life. I guess I'm surprised to find that I hadn't been blathering on and on to Bee about it. And as a result she felt a bit disconnected from me. I don't like that. I don't like to hear her tears down the phone, not when it was sort of my doing and I'm too far away to be able to fly over to her. I'm rambling. But the upside is that she's started blogging!!!! She's always written a diary so she will like blogging (I hope!) It'll be a fantastic memento for her children in years to come. Anyway brain dump over...

I dressed all wrong today. I assumed it would be a grey mizzy day again and so put some bright clothes on. My mistake? Thick purple tights. I had to come home to change out of them and find my flip flops before I started to over heat and pong!

43 comments:

I love your tea pot. Sadly I don't drink tea or have a tea pot, but that could change just so I can have a cosy for it. Love the colours and the roses, it all looks rather lovely. I found griddle stitch recently as I wanted a crochet version of Jane Brockets knitted blanket (moss stitch) in her new book. I came up with that after looking in my stitch guide, it's really nice to do and it's texture looks so blankety and just right for the effect I was after. There isn't much of it out there to see, so it is lovely to see you using it. I like how you use different stitches and come up with your own stuff. I definitely hope you keep blogging. I think there are always sides to us that not everyone sees. Sometimes it's about having the confidence to share what we love - as not everyone feels the same way about what we like and we are not sure of the reaction that we might get. To be honest if I blogged I would keep it secret, which is very silly and probably a reason why I don't. (That and I am so lazy that there would be no lovely pictures of things I made as there are made at a snails pace and people would get bored and run away.) Siobhanp.s love your skirt!

Funny, I have just come back from my morning walk where I was wondering about the same thing- do I spend too much time enthralled in other peoples and my own cyber crochet worlds?? ( I really like the word cyber crochet- so incongruous sounding!!)I don't have any type of answers, except for balance. And achieving the perfect balance can be tricky, but it sounds like you have it, happy you, happy kids and husband, happy friends. No one in my "real" life knows I blog. And I do it like you, early in the morning or late at night when everyone else is asleep.This may sound bizarre, but if I found out my best friend had a blog and was quite the cybercrochet world superstar (you know you are!!!) then I would feel a wee bit jealous, that she had all these friends I was not aware of. But after a bit, I would be totally cool with it. that's just meanyhoo, gorgeous gorgeous tea cosy and loving the colours, take care, and don't feel bad :)

Ahh lovely teacozy, I thought it was going to be a crochet'd hat and beard combo but this is much much nicer, as for blogging its a strange one, I think you can almost have an alter ego on here which can be good sometimes..maybe it just takes a bit of getting used to when you actually know the person....don't worry it will be fine :-)x x x x x x x x x x x bjork...oh I mean Jane x x

The best tea cosy I have ever seen, seriously lovely. Tea cosy envy........R.E blogs and pals of the bestest kind......I suggest a weekend away doing girly stuff and eating chocolate cake! We get to busy sometimes, and when there are miles between friends its even harder........Nattie x

I'm with Jane! (but then I would be...she's my friend in real life...yes, I see her in person, not just cyberspace...amazing) and we often muse over the weirdness of blogging. We both admit to sometimes getting carried away with it all and 'talking the language' of the person we are speaking to - which I suppose we all do to some extent in real life (I'm terrible for picking up someone elses accent!) it's just that it wouldn't ordinarily get written down.

Similarly I did notice that I caught up with some of my blogging pals on return from holiday before my real friends! that made me think....

anyway - I'm glad that you didn't go on to say that you were going to stop blogging - and tell Bee that I for one look forward to meeting her!

Your tea cosy is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I want one exactly like it. I love the pastel colours and the pile of roses. The tea will taste so much better coming out of something so beautiful! I have never tried griddle stitch but will definitely have to - it's lovely. Have a fab week hon.

I love your tea cosy is is so pretty and sweet. Bless you and Bee i can understand where you are coming from. It is so hard sometimes with friends family and life take over, you do and adjust your life to fit in with the day to day running. Your craft side and your blog are a further extension of your personal self. I am sure your friend still loves you for this and will catch up with you especially if she has a blog to it will be an exciting adventure for you both and another extension of your growing friendship. I love your blog now i have found it and love to read and see your makes ;-)) dee x

Ahh ,lovely tea cosy,Im definatley going to give that pattern a go,thankyou so much for the link :O .I got it from Coco Rose ,who had made some of these lovely large roses,they are gorgeous arent they?Sorry to hear your friend was so sad,I look forward to reading her blog,when she starts,(it is addictive!)Please dont stop blogging Cuckoo ,yours is the funniest blog I read! xxxxxjuliex

Okay, please let me in on the secret of how you fit everything in in one day! My life at the moment is a permanent chaotic mess...which is leading me to total brain mess!

ADORE the tea cosy.......have MASSIVE tea cosy ENVY! Did I mention that I ADORE it?!!!!!! Love the colours, those pastels are dreamy and to die for. The stitch looks like a goodun, never tried that, must give it a go....I don't have a tea cosy, just a coffee one. It might teach me manners to make a decent pot of tea instead of a teabag dunk!

You know I think for a lot of people, how their blogging pans out is never how they thought it would be. It is like a diary for many and you do forget that what you write gets read by anybody. I'm sure half of what I wrote on my last post, my family wouldn't have known about and so in a way, strangers know more about me than my family do.....that freaks me out a little!!!!! I have days where I couldn't see my life without it. It has opened up my creative side and I have met some fabby people....but other days, I feel too tied to it and get a bit frustrated.

I try to remind myself that I write my blog for me. If I want to write, I will write and if I want a break, then i'll have one. The day I feel very pressured to write to please those who read me, or be made to feel guilty that I havn't replied to an email straight away because 'real life' beckons, is the day I will hit the 'delete account' button!!!!!

Now your friend has started blogging, I'm sure she will love it and it will be a lovely way for you both to be a bit more connected.

Hehe, coco rose. None of my friends have been invited to read my blog because none of my friends appreciate, yarn, crochet, knitting, England....you get the idea, so I have all you lovely blog friends to share that with. They would also think I had gone mad, sometimes I feel like a round peg in a square hole. They also wouldn't see the funny side of some of the things that happen in life.I am loving your outfit, purple tights and all, and I am in love, love I tell you, with your t cosy. I am going to go find a t pot in a charity shop just so I can crochet a cosy. x Sandi

If G stopped blogging, I'd knock her silly, that's why I've started, so I can read your blogs and feel we are still in touch.

I hope I didn't come across jealous, we've been friends far to long for all that lark, it was more about not having the time to speak to you like we use to and see each other without all the distractions for little ones, work etc etc it's all about missing my angel like crazy and when I opened your blog I literally sat for about...2hrs reading them all (again and again), the tears were because I missed you, your my sister-friend, my one true guardian angel in my life, the one.

Right moving on - I've started a blog and I'm already (only a few days in) addicted to it, it's just wonderful.

I can't wait to see you and mini cuckoo tomorrow, very very excited indeed, love you angel x x x x x x

WHY am I now lusting over a tea cosy? What has happened to me?! I used to go weak at the knees like this over Johnny Depp (still do sometimes but you get my point). Want want want (the tanties again!). Could you maybe pop the pattern in your sidebar sometime please? I'll be your best friend.

Ms C, I came to a screeching halt here when I saw this. Your tea cosy is supremely delicious in every way...the colors, the pattern, not 'overdoing' it and just the simplicity of it overall. LOVE this beautiful piece of work! I want one!

I can relate to your blogging thoughts. Not very many people, incl some family and friends, don't even know I have a blog. It can be like having a 'secret' life, but I prefer to think of it as my personal creative journal of sorts and some of those close to me just aren't really interested! Glad to hear your friend has discovered the joy of blogging. xJosie

What a great outfit you have. I could have used an outfit like that today. It was grey and horribly wet in Holland!

Your tea cosy made me smile. It looks so pretty and girly with the roses on top. I am working on a granny square pillow or blanket (not sure yet what I will make). The colours are more or less the same as the ones in your tea cosy :-)

I am so in love with your teapot cozy!! I've been wanting to make one for a while now and I think you've got me super excited about actually doing it!!!

I totally hear you about the blogging thing - I don't really go on and on about my crochet etc to my friends, so when they read my blog it is like another side of me that they didn't know. Interesting thoughts aye. xoxo

I had a very similar experiene recently where a good friend who lives not too far away said they learnt loads about what I'd been up to from my blog - said in a slightly sad way.It did make me wonder if I'd been putting my time into blogging rather than real life friends. However, on the positive, through my blog I am able to give lots of friends (and family) updates on our little girls life which I wouldn't otherwise ever be able to get round to doing (pictures / stories etc). Rather than see it as an issue with my blogging (like you say I tend to do it late at night or first thing, around real life. For me I think I just needed a little reminder to keep making those phone calls / dinner dates with friends when life gets too busy!Lovely blogNelly xxx

Love the tea cosy - I really need to learn to crochet though! Thank-you for your blog, I read it and then and there phoned a friend who I had spoken to in ages, and had a really long lovely chat with her. I won't be at knit club as I doing a fair on Saturday.Jo x

I have been looking for a proper tea pot ever since I got married, and have yet to find one, but I think the search just got easier. With a tea cosy as sweet as this, the design of the teapot won't matter as much! Thanks so much for sharing.And I think that you should keep blogging as long as it makes you happy. It had been a big encouragement for me to keep crafting even when things would otherwise be overwhelming.

Cuckoo, which pattern did you use for the roses? Can you let me know the technical stuff if you get a mo please? I'd like to know which yarn you used and which patterns (for the cosy and the roses). Does it tell you how to do that particular stitch too?

Wow. I am smitten. Just stumbled onto your website via an adorable tea cozy I saw posted on pinterest! The internet is an amazing place. Love your crochet stars! Thank you for the info! LOVE YOUR COZY and I stalked until I could find the rose pattern also... there were many on that website and I am trying to locate the one you used... your cozy is so cute! I can't wait to make one! I have a question about the directions... I am from the US... are these instructions written in US stitches or English/Australian stitches? I am new to crochet and am finding that there are two different lingos depending on where you live!. If you do have time to answer, I would be so grateful! If you had the exact link to the rose and leaves pattern, I would also be grateful. I found the craft site but many roses. Love yours. The are the nicest I've seen! Also - what brand of yarn did you use and what size crochet hook? I would like to use the same yarn you did. Thanks for the great inspiration! Bari kbmoore516@comcast.net

I love your tea cosy! We do not drink tea, but we love our pretty teapots for hot chocolate! My youngest daughter & I curl up on the sofa with books, blankets, cats, cookies, and a teapot of hot cocoa and pretty cups. This would keep our kind of "tea" warm & toasty!

I L♡VE your comments. Thank you ever so for taking the time. I do try to get back to everyone but I am rather scatty and I have these 3 big distractions....(and I'm just generally a bit rubbish lately, so please don't feel obliged to leave a note) Sorry about the word verification too, too much spam.

About Me

My blog is a diary of all my crafting exploits with my family life thrown in too. Cuckoo is my nickname, it comes from a song my dear Nanny Dot used to sing to me "The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she singeth as she flies..." but it sums me up well, I am a teeny weeny bit cuckoo (but who isn't?!)
I hope you enjoy your time spent here.